Undeniable Feelings
by Y-n-Y
Summary: [Yaoi][YYxY][Darkish]When two close friends see more to each other than before, what kind of complications could be thrown their way to sway their love?
1. Just Friends

(AN: Hey, tis me, Yami-no-Yugi. As you may or may not know, my account was hacked into, so this is NOT a repost. This is my new FF.net pen name. I hope FF.net may be able to fix this.)  
  
Y-n-Y: Eep!  
  
Yami: Not another one!  
  
Y-n-Y: Imma sorry!  
  
Yami: ::sigh::  
  
Y-n-Y: But this is complete! All I need to do is upload it! So, I have to fix some things around, but, it won't take a lot of time.  
  
Yami: You better be right.  
  
Y-n-Y: ^_^ Anyway, this is a new one, and I promise another chappie for "Second Chance" will be ready for tomorrow. And just a warning, on Saturday I am moving, so I really won't be able to do much stuff, like writing, but I'll try to get some writing done so on Monday there's a new chappie for "A Far Away Dream," but that's not written in stone, so it could have to wait until Tuesday. So, that's all I have to say, pretty much. Enjoy the fic!  
  
Undeniable Feelings  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Just Friends  
  
In a wide open field at a nearby park, there would usually be two teenage boys. Both with the same hair, black with purplish tips and gold bangs, but their eyes were different. One pair was a soft violet, almost like velvet if you could tough them, while the other was a passionate crimson like the reddest flame. Had been dueling for the longest time, trying to figure out who was better. These two teenagers were Mutou Yami; nineteen and Motou Yuugi; eighteen. They have known each other since baby-hood, as their families were strongly linked. Yuugi, looking much like his grandfather did when he was a child, was more playful and a little naive and Yami was a little bit more on the serious side, but they had both knew when and how to act like regular teen did.  
  
Only Yami had a hard time with being a 'regular' teen. One, of his two problems, was that his father is head of the duelist committee, making it hard for him to do anything but dueling.  
  
The second was a dark secret he never told anyone. His secret made him stand out from other 'normal' teenage boys, but he figured as long as he kept it under wraps, he would be just fine.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yami and Yuugi were out, doing their normal dueling. In the middle of the game, Yami got an idea to distract his friend with some pebbles nearby. Without trying to obvious, he glided his hand to the ground and picked up a couple. He faced Yuugi as he was ready to draw a card, but instead, knowing he would surprise Yuugi, Yami then started to pelt rocks at him. A couple rocks managed to hit Yuugi's head as didn't see the attack coming. With another ten hits, Yuugi finally decided to take of his shirt, as it became a useful weapon in his counterattack.  
  
Yami kept throwing the rocks, and all the while he knew his cheeks must be pink. After a bit, Yami stopped throwing because they were not much of a challenge now the Yuugi can move much faster. "Aw, this isn't fun anymore," he complained.  
  
Yuugi came up to Yami. "Hey, Yami, why is your face red?" he asked.  
  
Yami thought for a second, mind racing. "Ano... I'm just a bit tired. I didn't get much sleep with Mom and Dad making so much noise yelling." Yami figured he had that well covered.  
  
"Oh, okay. Then you must be really tired. You almost look like tomato. You should go home," Yuugi told his friend with concern.  
  
//Like a tomato?! Why doesn't he put a shirt on?// "Iya, daijoubu. But you're right; we should get to our homes. Jaa ne."  
  
"Bye, Yami."  
  
They both took of in the same direction, but made a wishbone when they needed to go the opposite ways. //Bye, Yuugi.//  
  
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Yami did not go straight home. He stopped at his quiet place on top of a steep hill to think. //How could something like that affect me?// It was not like he has never seen a guy without a shirt; it was only with Yuugi that these feelings sufaced. //I want to tell him, but what'll become of our friendship if it's not the same with him? Iya! What am I saying? Of course he doesn't. I won't let him know.//  
  
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By the time Yami got home it was dinner time.  
  
After he finished eating, Yami left the table to go to his room.  
  
"Aren't you hungry, Yami?" his mom asked after he ate a bowl of rice and a little of his consommé soup.  
  
"Nope, I'm all full. I had a HUGE lunch with Yuugi. I'm pretty sure he won't be eating much at dinner either." Yami took his bowls to the sink and, out of sight from his parents, ran to his room.  
  
//In fact, I know Yuugi won't be eating a lot. Something has been bugging him for the past couple days.// Through the years, Yami and Yuugi have made a unique bond. It was not like reading minds, but they know each others moods and, yes, sometimes thoughts. He was very careful not to let too many of his thoughts open to Yuugi. Yami only let some of his thoughts open. If any secret thoughts open, it might ruin their friendship. Deep down, he suspected that Yuugi knew. Until he was sure, it would be his secret.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next day, Yami and Yuugi continued to train. But that day was a special day: Kaiba would be with them. It always made things more interesting with Kaiba around. Taking turns dueling against the other two duelists was always challenging.  
  
It was Yami's turn and he was sure of himself, a bad and sometimes annoying trait he inherited from his father. As was the norm, Yami and Kaiba ended up fighting during the duel. Insults relating to their positions in the Duel Monsters world got under their skin. Kaiba being the CEO of the biggest producer of holographic equipment for the game and Yami having his father's influence.  
  
Yami lost track of Kaiba's fast movements when he was being pummeled into the ground.  
  
Yuugi watched in with horror. /I know I should stay out of this, but one of them always gets hurt./  
  
As Yami was trying to get back up, almost in slow motion, saw Yuugi's expression change to fear as he ran right in front of Yami. The next thing he heard was Yuugi's scream and a loud sound that resulted from flesh meeting flesh. Kaiba's intended blow for Yami's stomach landed on Yuugi's instead.  
  
"Baka!" Yami screamed. Yami stooped to the ground and pulled Yuugi's head in his lap.  
  
His friend looked at Kaiba and smiled weakly. "Kaiba-kun, you're stronger than I thought."  
  
"Good, you're all right," the brunette replied.  
  
Yami felt his anger rise. //He's not all right! Can't anyone tell that he's in pain besides me?!// He did manage to keep his anger in check, but knew his face must be balled in frustration.  
  
"I'll go get some water," the young CEO said, "so, you stay with him, okay, Yami?" Kaiba took off.  
  
Yami put his friend's head on the ground and sat next him. "Yuugi, what did you do that for? I could have taken that blow, baka."  
  
Yuugi smiled. "I didn't want you to get hurt."  
  
Yami looked shocked. //He couldn't have guessed...?// "It is not funny, you know. You shouldn't hide your pain. Something could be really wrong. That punch would've knocked a tree down."  
  
"Genki-genki! Hora!" Yuugi tried to sit up, but did not make it halfway, before pain showed that the movement was not a good thing.  
  
"Stop it, Yuugi. Just stay down."  
  
Kaiba arrived with the water and Yuugi drank every drop. "Well, nothing seems to have been broken, but you are pretty bruised. Can you stand up? I can take you home."  
  
Yami knew that Yuugi could not, but would only to be in more pain. //Don't stand, Yuugi. You'll just be in more pain.// Yami knew his message got across to him, but Yuugi stood anyway. //Baka!//  
  
Yami as his two friends departed. //Why would he block for me? Does he know? Or feel the same?//  
  
Y-n-Y: So, how was it? Starting of good, I hope. And you know me, this is gonna be an angsty fic ^_^ 


	2. All Revealed

WOO-HOO!!! I HAVE INTERNET ... a week later... ^_____________^;;  
  
Y-n-Y: Grr... grr... as you may have noticed that "Second Chance" and "A Far Away Dream" were not updated... this is because I let scandisk run and it found an error in these to files and, well, they got deleted ;; so, I will have to retype them up. I'm sorry for the delays, but moving is a pain in the ass. I didn't start working on the internet connection until 8pm on Monday and by then I was exhausted from school and unpacking all 30 boxes of mine...yes, thirty... So anyways, here's the next chappie for this story and, hopefully, by Sunday my other two will be updated. And maybe this too will be updated again on Sunday, I'm not sure I'll have enough time to do all three before then, but I'll try ^_^V  
  
Wolfspeaker: ::nods and points to my new slogan:: Got angst? (oohh... good slogan, ne?)  
  
Silver Dragon: Eep... I week is a long time, sorry it wasn't sooner ^_^  
  
To Gin-Ryu-chan: 'genki-genki! Hora' means 'fine-fine! Look' ...orange crates?? o.o;;  
  
To Kanatasha: Thanks ^_^  
  
To blah: lol... eh, I guess so ^_^  
  
To Yami's Aibou: Ohh, definite angsty in this chappie...  
  
To Labannya: ::sighs:: Yes, another one... All well... ^^  
  
I luv Yugi and Kurt so :p: ::hands tissue:: Thankies ^_^  
  
To Princess Strawberry: "Genki" means "happy" (or "fine" when relating to health... I'm sorry for the angst... But it's all that comes to me.  
  
To Synchronized Love: Heh, like I said, you'll have to wait a bit for the other updates, but I did this one ^.^  
  
To Tjay Motou: Thankies ^_^  
  
To moonnymph: I will! Geez -.- I won't leave my other stories behind.  
  
To kiyoko-chan: Um, tell you honestly, I haven't really decided that... I'm thinking about putting that in, but I didn't mean that the "message got across" because of the Puzzle.  
  
To Seventh Sage: Lol... ^_^ Thankies  
  
To Jadesaber: Not quite... No hospital for Yuugi... God knows I hate them...  
  
To KawaiiBlackMoon: Wow... o.o 21 greats? I can only trace up to 4 o.o;; Anywho, thanks for reviewing ^_^  
  
To maladyrancor: Wow... that's the first time someone complimented me on my actual writing style... Thanks ^___^  
  
To Devil Malik: Thankies n_nV  
  
To moonlitspire: Thanks n_nV  
  
To YamiLava: I won't neglect my babies ^_^ I'll update them all...eventually...  
  
Chapter 2  
  
All Revealed  
  
He next day at the park, Yami and Yuugi were dueling trying to catch each other off guard. They have been going at it for hours and no one has damaged the other. Yuugi was not at full health either. He had confided in Yami that his he got pretty messed up bad because of that blow he took from Kaiba. Still, he had been thinking pretty clearly through each move for a person in extreme pain.  
  
Yami, after the duel, ending in a draw, got so caught up with his thoughts, that he lost track of where Yuugi had run off to. He turned and stepped forward. Yuugi at that exact time rammed right into Yami. They both felt extreme pain. Yuugi did because his arm had been smashed between them, right in his stomach area and Yami did because that hand had knocked him in the gut. Yami realized Yuugi must have been running when the collision happened. And, according to the laws of gravity, they both fell to the ground.  
  
When Yami opened his eyes, he saw Yuugi's face twisted with pain through the veil of his blond bangs.  
  
"Nee, Yuugi, get off me!"  
  
Yuugi was only being held on top of him by his arms. "I wish I could, but my whole body just isn't moving. And... my stomach..." Yuugi collapsed.  
  
Yami felt Yuugi's lips touch his for a brief second. //They're so soft, like silk.// A shockwave of electricity went from head to toe that erased the throbbing in his gut.  
  
Yuugi rolled off of Yami. "Ano, Yami..."  
  
"Yuugi, I think I'm in love you." Yami felt his face turn red. //That kiss is making me feel lightheaded.// "I- Ano... Gomen ne! What am I talking about?" //Good job, Yami. That's it. There goes our friendship.//  
  
Yami saw that Yuugi looked a bit shocked, but not in disgust as he would have thought it been. Soon, it changed to happiness. "Hontou? I thought, for the longest time, that I- that I was the only one." His grin got even wider. "But you gave yourself away a couple of weeks ago, you know."  
  
They both lay on the ground until their pains faded away to almost nothing.  
  
"How was the kiss, Yuugi?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"When you fell on top of me we kissed."  
  
"That was a kiss?" Yuugi grinned again.  
  
Yami saw Yuugi lifted his hand to his face to remove a strand of blond hair from over his eyes. He got closer and so did Yami. Then their lips met again. It was different from the first one, which was not really a kiss.  
  
Yami felt very clumsy. It was the first time he ever kissed anyone like this. They experimented with the sensation, their tongues going from one mouth to another. Then they parted.  
  
"So?" Yami asked.  
  
"I liked it," Yuugi said with his grin wider then ever before. "You?"  
  
Yami smiled. "Of course I liked it, baka." He touched Yuugi's face. "Are you good to go?" Yami asked, remembering that Yuugi's hurt and how much pain he was in.  
  
"Ano..." Yuugi tried to sit up, but he never made it, "...iya."  
  
"Want to rest on the benches?"  
  
"Sou, so at least I can sit up a bit."  
  
Yami picked Yuugi off the ground and carried him over. Yuugi immediately sat on the bench.  
  
"Arigatou, Yami."  
  
"No problem. I'm not as badly hurt as you are." Yami sat close to Yuugi. "Nee, why did you lie to your grandpa?" Yuugi looked confused, but Yami knew it was an act. "Hora, I know you are in a lot of pain and he wouldn't let you come here if they knew."  
  
Yuugi looked a bit sheepish and smiled. "Well, it was because... I didn't want you to worry so much. I wanted you to think I felt better so you would. But I guess you figured it out."  
  
Yami put one of his hands on Yuugi's head. "Oh, c'mon, Yuugi. You know you couldn't pull something like that with me. We've known each other too long."  
  
"Yeah, that was stupid, wasn't it?" Yuugi rested his head on Yami's shoulder. "So, what do we do now?"  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"You know. Should we tell anyone?" Yuugi asked.  
  
"I don't think that would be a good idea. And especially shouldn't tell our parents. It's bad enough my father doesn't like your grandpa. We don't need to add more reasons why he hates him," Yami told him. "It would be okay if Kaiba knew, but we don't have to say anything. Knowing him, he'll find out soon enough."  
  
"Actually, I think he already knows something's up. He's very good at putting things together," Yuugi mumbled. Out of the corner of Yami's eye, a guilty look appeared up Yuugi's face.  
  
"Does he know?"  
  
Yuugi twisted his face. "Well, I asked him for advice on how I should tell someone that I like them. Only my words were 'How do I tell somebody I like him?'"  
  
"He guessed it was me," Yami concluded. He felt Yuugi's head nod on his shoulder. "Has he told anyone?"  
  
"Nope. And he swore he wouldn't tell a soul."  
  
"Well, that's good. Are you gonna tell him anymore?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Don't!"  
  
Yami raised voice shocked Yuugi. Yuugi immediately lifted his head from the shoulder of his tri-colored hair boy... /Partner...? Friend...? Boyfriend...?/ Yuugi still didn't know what to call each other.  
  
"Demo... If we can't talk about this, then it'll eat us up from inside. I know it was eating me when I couldn't tell you." Yuugi tried to stand. /That wasn't smart./ He fell helplessly into Yami's lap. "You're not ashamed, are you? Yami?" Yuugi asked. Yuugi looked into Yami's crimson eyes.  
  
Yami closed his eyes, but Yuugi continued to look at him. "I'm not, but you know how some people act around people who are different. I don't want that kind of life."  
  
"But it is bad enough that we have to hide our past lives. The more we hide, the more that will eventually come out." /Don't you understand?/  
  
"Well, what should we do? Announce it to the world? Tell my parents and your grandpa? Tell the entire school?" With each question, the volume of Yami's voice went up.  
  
Yuugi felt a tear start to form at the corner of his eye. "You are ashamed!" Yuugi fully stood up and ran off.  
  
/How can he be ashamed? He said he loved me./  
  
As he ran off, he did not look back. He was afraid of what he might see.  
  
Y-n-Y: Hmm... you guys like it? See? ::points to the Yuugi angst:: I told you this would be angsty... ::le sigh:: So, yeah... make my day happy and review? *___* Oh, yeah, and the whole "hiding their past lives" will come up again... 


	3. Unspoken Anger

NEW Reponses to Reviewers:  
  
Dia Starheart Motou: Hehe... I stole that math thing from... somewhere... I forgot... if I ever find it, I'll give credit for it @.@;; anywho... thanks for the review ^^  
  
Sabby^_~: Lol... Thanks for reviewing.  
  
Sherry-chan: Thanks ^^;; Sorry if reading is keeping you up late.  
  
Dagger: Yeah, I'm very bad at torturing the characters u_u;;  
  
OLD Responses:  
  
To Ms. Beta Reader: ::nods:: Love Yuugi/Yami angst ^_^ I think all my stories got it in it... all well ^^;;  
  
To moonnymph: ::covers ears from squeal:: o.o;; not so loud...  
  
To KawaiiBlackMoon: XD That poster must be pretty bloody o.o Thankies for your review ^_^  
  
To Wolfspeaker: Thanks for reviewing ^____^  
  
To ^_^: Fluff? Not until the end ^__^;;  
  
To Synchronized Love: ^_^V Thanks! ^.^ I love the angst too.  
  
To moonlitspire: Ooh... I love rainy days... as long as I'm not in the rain, that is...  
  
To I luv Yugi and Kurt so :p: ::hands boxes of kleenx:: Sorry ^^;;  
  
To Gin Ryu-chan: Lol... No problem... I'm not gonna write a Japanese mini- dictionary thingy anymore... most of the stuff is common, if not just ask in the review and I'll tell ya ^_^  
  
To anime AndrAIa: Adrenaline... That's how Yuugi was able to run away... ::shrugs:: I guess... didn't really plan to go into detail with that... all well ^^;; As for "A Far Away Dream" you'll have to wait a bit longer... I'm trying to get something to build up on it and it's not working... And I'd hate to make it such a short story...  
  
To Princess Strawberry: I'd be an authoress ^_^ Just don't kill me for the angst I put in this ^.^;;;  
  
To Seventh Sage: ^^;; Un-depressing? You mean fluffy? ::shakes head and checks for a fever:: Nope... not this time ^^  
  
To rox: Thankies ^_^  
  
To mistykasumi: Um... just go along with everything... you'll see where the real stuff and my AU stuff is... Don't worry about it too much...  
  
To Devil Malik: ::sings:: "Yugi and Yami sitting on the tree! K-I-S-S-I-N- G! First cames fluff, then comes lemon, then comes more lemon and more and more and more and-" ... look at what you've got me doing...  
  
To Jadesaber: ^_^ Tankies ^_^  
  
To Dreaming Dragon: WEE!! MORE PLUSHIES!!!! THANKIES!!!!!!  
  
To Labannya: So angst is grape juice? No wonder why I write so much angst... I love grape juice... ^^;;  
  
To KC: ::nods:: Of course! All my fics will have a happy ending in the end... unless otherwise noted...  
  
Y-n-Y: Okies. Not much to say... Just a little OOCness on Kaiba's part... nothing big...  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Unspoken Anger  
  
Yami stared after Yuugi. //I'm such an idiot.// The realization of what he did hit him. He made the person he loved the most cry. "Oh, man!" Another mess, but this time, no one was with him to help clean it up. There was another person, but to do that he would have to see the person who left him.  
  
Looking back at the spot Yuugi was, he felt his lips tingle. He wanted so bad to feel Yuugi's lips again. He knew he could not live without Yuugi. Not now, now that they finally know each other's feelings. //No! I need him!//  
  
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Yami came home, glad no one was there. He changed his clothes and put fresh ones on. Then he picked up the phone...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kaiba was sitting and reading a book. He was going to stay with Yuugi until his grandpa got back from going out, so he was on dinner duty. He knew that Mokuba and Jounouchi would be eating right about now. Lost in his reading, when the phone rang, it startled him. He set down the book and went to go pick it up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Kaiba? What're you doing at Yuugi's?"  
  
"Yuugi's grandpa went out of town... He didn't want Yuugi to be lonely, he asked me to keep up the house."  
  
"I see."  
  
"So, why'd you call?"  
  
"Well, my parents aren't home and so that means no one's here to cook. I would cook, but I don't want to get sick. Could I come over and eat there?"  
  
Kaiba knew there was a little more. Yuugi only mentioned his feelings for Yami once. And it stuck in the back of his mind. With the tone in Yami's voice, he realized that he had ulterior motives.  
  
"Sure, Yami. I'm stuck with cooking. So, if you don't mine me cooking, sure, come on over."  
  
"Arigatou, Kaiba. I'll be there in a little bit."  
  
"Jaa."  
  
Kaiba sat down and picked up his book. Then sighed, remembering he had to cook.  
  
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Yuugi's mind was racing. First there was the pain on the outside; his gut. Then there was the pain inside; his heart. /I would shout it from rooftops if it weren't for this stereotypical, analytical world we live in. But Yami's ashamed. I know he is. No other feeling can get that strong./  
  
In much pain, Yuugi reached his front door. As soon as he opened it, he smelt food. If there were one thing that could settle his mind it would be food.  
  
"Grandpa? What's cooking?"  
  
He was surprised to see Kaiba stirring up something in a pot. "Kaiba? Nani.?"  
  
"Your Grandpa went out of town and asked me to stay with you so you're not lonely. And that left me with cooking duties. Hurry up and get changed. It looks like you and Yami had a long day."  
  
Yuugi raced to his room, eager for some food. As taking off his shirt, he was very much reminded him of his stomach. And his stomach reminded him how it failed him to keep him above Yami and the two sweet kisses they shared. /Food, I need some food to think clearly again./  
  
Very gently, Yuugi managed to take off his shirt and put another one on without much pain. It took him fifteen minutes, but nevertheless, he did it.  
  
Yuugi happily skipped to the kitchen. But stopped immediately when his stomach told him that wasn't good. With each step he smelt the delicious food.  
  
He saw Kaiba still by the stove and a tri-colored hair teen sitting at the table looking down at the polished, flat surface. "Ah, Yuugi, you are just in time. Dinner's ready. Yami came by because his parents were out, so he wanted dinner that won't make him sick," Kaiba explained. "Don't know how good mine's gonna be, but it looks okay." He put a plate in front of Yami and another next to it.  
  
"Arigatou. Ano, Kaiba-" Yuugi began.  
  
But Kaiba cut him off, "I'll go take this to the guest room, I have got work to do. There's more on the stove, so you both can help yourselves." Kaiba left.  
  
Yuugi took a seat away from his companion. He reached over the table to get his plate, but Yami grabbed his arm. "Gomen."  
  
Yuugi felt himself redden with anger, forced his arm from Yami's grip. Yami looked down at his food, then at Yuugi. "Gomen," Yami said once again.  
  
"So what, Mutou? I've lost my appetite." Yuugi got up from the table and went to his room. /Damn you, Yami. I want to hold you so bad, but not after what happened. It took everything I had not to kiss you or touch you./  
  
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//What?! What could he mean? 'Mutou'?// Yami could not understand what just happened. He tried to talk to him. He apologized. Could have Yuugi been hurt that much?  
  
Yes. Just as Yami has been. The disappointment his father had for him. It was the same pain as Yuugi was now feeling, he was sure of it. //What should I do?//  
  
At that moment Kaiba walked in the kitchen with empty plates. "Where's Yuugi?" he asked Yami.  
  
"He went to his room."  
  
"I see. He didn't even eat. Neither did you."  
  
Yami looked at his plate. It was still full with food. "We must not be that hungry today." He was not sure if Yuugi told Kaiba anything. And he was not about to volunteer anything Kaiba did not know.  
  
"Nee, Yami. I do not know exactly what's going on, but I know you need to talk to Yuugi, right?" Yami nodded. "And he will not listen to you." Yami nodded again, even though he knew it wasn't a question. "I think he's just too stubborn. You might want to wait until he lightens up a bit and cools off."  
  
Yami knew Kaiba was right. He, too, always needed to let off some steam before thinking clearly again. He figured giving Yuugi breathing room would be the best thing for right now. "Then I guess I'll be going. Jaa ne."  
  
"'Bye."  
  
Yami got up from the table and went out the front door.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuugi sat by his window and watched Yami leave. For some reason Yuugi was angrier than he had ever been. He has always been happy, but when he did get mad, it was not for this long or this bad. So much was on the line. But he could not understand why Yami felt ashamed. Sure, they should not tell everyone at school; that would be like committing suicide. But they should not hide around it. It was not like they are the first.  
  
He knew that it would be hard for Yami. Yami already felt that his father is disappointed in him and from his point of view; this would only make things worse. Yuugi knew that his family would be happy for him, so it did not matter much. But being ashamed is not the same thing as that. It hurt him more to know he was ashamed of then he would be if Yami just flat out refused any kind of relationship with him anymore.  
  
Yuugi just hoped Yami would come around soon. /It's not my problem, it's his./  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yami arrived home. Irrational thoughts flew unwanted into his mind. Somehow, from the way there, he became mad at Yuugi. He did not know how he got to that, but it had something to do with Yuugi acting like a child. And before he walked in the front door, he decided to get rid of his feelings for Yuugi. He would not see or speak to him again. //Aishiteru, demo sayonara, Yuugi.//  
  
Y-n-Y: Okies... another chappie done! YAY!!! R&R please? ::puppy dog eyes:: 


	4. Ending of a Friendship

NEW RESPONSES:  
  
Sherry-chan: Aishiteru = I love you. o.o  
  
setokaiba: Yes, there *was* more... until my account was hacked into, so now I'm reposting. I have no idea what chapter I left off at, but I'll just repost as I find time to.  
  
Mimiheart: Lol... yeah ^^ so here's more.  
  
SecretSoul: XD Glad you loved it ^^;  
  
Evilgoddess1990: Thanks ^^V  
  
OLD RESPONSES:  
  
To tefla: No... he just got hit really hard... ::shrugs::  
  
To Wolfspeaker: Thankies ^_^V  
  
To Pectus Draconis: ^.^ Of course not... Yami always has Yuugi on the brain ^_^  
  
To Seventh Sage: Yep, that's the word I'd chose...  
  
To Yami-Yugi: Thanks for reviewing ^.^  
  
To rox: Tankies n_n  
  
To I luv Yugi and Kurt so :p: XD ::pat pat:: We dun want you flooding the world. ::hands some kleenx::  
  
To Kaiyo no Hime: ::bows to the angst:: it controls my life... o.o;;  
  
To anime AndrAIa: ::hands pillow:: the keyboard can't be too comfy...  
  
To Moonlitspire: ::nods:: They be very stubborn...  
  
To Synchronized Love: Yep! "I luff angst, you luff angst, this is such an angsty fic......" maybe I should stop there... ^^;;  
  
To moonnymph: LOL ::revives:: dun die on me, you have to read the rest ^^  
  
To Devil Malik: Yes, I see you're hyper... ::gives some more sugar:: ____________________^  
  
To BenevolentPharaoh: ::hands kleenx:: There, there...  
  
Y-n-Y: Here's the next chappie!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Ending Of a Friendship  
  
The next day, Yuugi had cooled down a bit and was not angry anymore. Not to mention his stomach stopped hurting, which was a plus for him. He was very eager to settle things with Yami. /I gotta apologize for being so cruel to him last night./  
  
Yuugi waited for the usual call from Yami. He would usually ask where they should duel and when. It was 11 o'clock, an hour after the usual time he would call. Yuugi decided to call him instead. /He's probably mad at me. Not that I don't blame him, I'd be mad at me, too./  
  
"Hello?" a woman's voice answered.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yami heard the phone ring and begged his mom to say that he was not home. //I don't want to talk to him at all.//  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Oh, it's you, Yuugi-chan."  
  
"No, he's not here now."  
  
"Yeah, usually you guys are gone by now."  
  
"Uh-huh. Sure, I'll tell him you called."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Yami got up from where he was sitting. "Thanks a lot, mom."  
  
"Why did you want me to tell him that? You guys in a fight or something?"  
  
"Yeah or something..." Yami turned to leave.  
  
"I'm telling you now, that will be the only time I'll do that, understand? You should be more mature and work out your problems, not run from them."  
  
"Okay, Mom." He rolled his eyes. //Fine, next time I just won't be home.//  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After Yami left the room, his mom hung up the phone. 'Okay, Yuugi, I knew you heard that.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He did not know whether Mrs. Mutou was lying or not. While he still had the phone to his ear, in the background, he heard Yami's voice. /Yami? But Mrs. Mutou said... I see. You are avoiding me. Fine, I'm coming over./  
  
He hung up the phone and ran off. /If that is how you want to be./  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Without any dueling that day, Yami wondered aimlessly around the house.  
  
"Okaa-san, I'm bored. There's nothing to do," Yami complained.  
  
She looked at her son. "Well, you could always give me hand in the kitchen- "  
  
"Actually, I just remember I have to be somewhere." Yami took off out the door.  
  
Yami sat down in front of his house. //Anything but cooking is what I meant to say.//  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
/I understand that Yami lied because he was mad at me, but I can't stand this anymore./ Yuugi was on his way to Yami's house. /Oh, boy, what am I gonna say to him? I can't fix things by just talking. In fact, that could make him madder at me./ Yuugi saw Yami sitting at his front door.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
//It hasn't been twenty-four hours and I miss him already so badly. But I just have to stop thinking about him.// Yami put his elbows on his knees and rested his forehead on his hands. //I tried to talk to him. Even if he was that mad, he could've say "Talk to me later" and stormed off. He left the impression that he hated me. He probably does...// He was so engrossed with his thoughts that he failed to notice someone walking up to him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey, Yami," Yuugi said walking up to Yami.  
  
Yami jumped a little, surprised at the voice. He lifted his head from his hands. "Yuugi." Almost like he forgot something, and his mood changed. "Go away, Motou." He put his head back against his hands.  
  
"What's with the formality?" Yuugi tried to sound light.  
  
"I could have asked the same thing last night."  
  
Yuugi exploded and lashed out with his words. "What do you want from me?! It feels bad to be ashamed of! You'd know! You talk about your dad not caring about you all the time! So what?! I don't HAVE a father! I had to wonder whether it was my fault that he wasn't there! I had no one to play even a small part in my life as a father figure! Whether he was a good one or not! I'd rather have a bad father then none! I love my grandpa, but it's not the same..." Yuugi felt a tear slide down his cheek. He wiped it away and calmed down a bit. "No. This is about YOU this time. Why are you mad at me?"  
  
"Because I... I... Be-" Yuugi saw Yami's shoulders shake a little. "Because..." He lifted his head again, this time he had tears running down his cheeks from his crimson eyes. "Because you think I can be ashamed of someone I love! That's why!"  
  
"If you weren't ashamed, than what were you? What else could be such a strong emotion?" Yuugi did not know if he was going too far.  
  
"Fear," Yami said too soft to hear. "Fear can do that; of loving someone. If the wrong person knows, they might be ashamed of me! I don't need more than one person!"  
  
Yuugi sat next to his friend. Yami keep looking forward and he saw tears running down his cheeks even more.  
  
"Yami..." He put an arm around his friend's shoulders. "I'm sorry for getting on your case there. But I wanted to know why."  
  
Yami did not seem to realize Yuugi sat next to him or put his arm around him. When he did, he immediately jumped up, knocking Yuugi's arm off. "Go," Yami said.  
  
"Yami-" /What are you doing?/  
  
"Go! Don't come back! I regret everything that happened between us! EVERYTHING! Hurry! Now!" More and more, tears came running out of Yami's eyes. "Sayonara!"  
  
He started to walk away, but Yuugi grabbed his hand. "You can't mean that! Nee?! You're crying! Don't say that again!" Yuugi now felt his own tears on his cheeks as his mind exploded. "That's not right! This isn't right! You aren't thinking right! You're not thinking about what you're saying! You can't mean it! You're in too much pain to be serious! Can you honestly say that to me?! Yami, say something else! Just... don't say that again!"  
  
"If that's what it will take." Yami wiped his eyes and stood up straight. He breathed in deeply and in a low voice, he said, "Aishiteru, demo. demo."  
  
"NO!" Yuugi dropped the hand and turned around as he covered his ears. /No. It can't be true!/ "If you say it, then everything you have told me was a lie! I've never meant anything to you! Our friendship, everything was worth nothing to you!"  
  
Yami paused for a while and Yuugi thought he changed his mind. A minute later, out of the corners of Yuugi's eyes, he saw Yami shake his head. "...sayonara," Yami said, his face was free of tears. "Please, go."  
  
They both knew he heard the words. Yuugi uncovered his ears. He wanted to say more, he wanted to convince Yami to change his mind, but the fact that Yami was content, and not crying, with what happened prevented him to say anything that would make him cry or hurt him.  
  
Yuugi slowly turned around and faced Yami. /I'm not going until I get the truth from you./ He walked up to him and stood in front of him. Yami looked at him straight in the eye, no tears. Yuugi grabbed his shoulders and kissed him.  
  
Nothing. Yami did not kiss back or even acknowledge what happened. /So, this is how it ends for us? Yes, it is. But I know the truth./  
  
"I see... Aishiteru, Yami. Zettai. Remember you're not the only one who will be hurting and missing someone who loves you. Say- iya... Jaa ne."  
  
/What am I doing? He doesn't want to admit he loves me anymore. I'll be living in an illusion./ Yuugi, without looking back, running away, screamed, "SAYONARA, YAMI!"  
  
His tears never stopped.  
  
Y-n-Y: ::looks around:: Yep, that's it for this chappie ^_^ Review please? 


	5. Regrettable Actions

NEW Responses:  
  
Mimiheart: Sorry he cried ^^;;  
  
BladeTenshi: Lol.. thanks... I like the Japanese too ^^V  
  
Sherry-chan: Hehe... Glad you like it ^^  
  
~*~*~*~Old stuff~*~*~*~  
  
Y-n-Y: Okies... before I do the reviews I'd like to make a little announcement.  
  
Yuugi: What now?  
  
Y-n-Y: Well, me and Starkiss came up with a great idea, so we joined together and created the name Star no Yugi. We have one story already done and we're quite proud of it ^_^V So, everyone please go check it out.  
  
Yuugi: That's it?  
  
Y-n-Y: Yes... ^^;;  
  
To sky-lightning: I should, shouldn't I? ::sigh:: Boy, this is probably gonna be the angstiest chappie I've ever written...  
  
To Wolfspeaker: Nope, there's more! ^_^  
  
To Devil Malik: ^^;; Thankies for reviewing ^.^  
  
To rox: Thankies!  
  
To Digimagic: Thanks for your review ^_^  
  
To Moonlitspire: Angst won't be gone for a while, my friend.  
  
To moonnymph: Owwies... stop doing that  
  
To Labannya: XD ::nods:: I do make it angsty... ^^;;  
  
To Gin Ryu-chan: ::nods:: But they're my idiots ^___^;;  
  
To anime AndrAIa: Oohh... cookie? Did someone say cookie? ^___^  
  
To YamiLava: Go Lava! ::pets her chainsaw:: ^_____________^  
  
To Synchronized Love: ::nods:: Yeah, sad... Even worse this chappie...  
  
To Seventh Sage: ::hands kleenx:: Sowwy...  
  
To Kyra Windwood: ::nods:: Imma sorry ^^;;  
  
To kiyoko-chan: Sorry it's so sad...  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Regrettable Actions  
  
Yami looked after his departed friend. He sat down at the same spot. His lips still felt warm, they were the only warm part on his whole body. He touched two fingers to his lips. Then he started crying again, swearing he would never wash his fingers again. //Will this pain ever go away? He could have convinced me, but he didn't want to hurt me. He could have forced me to be true to my feelings and to take him in arms and...//  
  
Still sobbing, he went inside. While on his way to his room, he prayed no one would see him. For his sake, no one did. He sat on his bed. As he looked out his window, he saw Yuugi, still crying. With what seemed to be one last look at Yami, he touched his fingers to his lips and ran off. Yami's heart did not need him to see that. It made his insides feel like shit. He stared at his hand. //No regrets, remember?//  
  
Yami wiped off his tears and went to the bathroom. There he washed his hands, with soap and hot water. Hot enough to scald him for life, but he took it.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuugi arrived home and it looked like no one was there so he did not bother to wipe the tears off his face. /At least I know Yami won't be sleeping tonight./ He went into the kitchen; hoping food would cure him for a little while. Yuugi raided the cupboards and the drawers. Not bothering to be careful, he slammed them when he closed them.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kaiba, once again reading a book, was interrupted by the sound of cupboards slamming. 'Is there ever peace around here?'  
  
He went into the kitchen to investigate. He saw Yuugi looking into the refrigerator. "Oh, it's just you, Yuugi. You're home," Kaiba said.  
  
His little brother must have been surprised as he was an unexpected guest. He heard sniffles. "Oh, Kaiba. What are you doing here?"  
  
Yuugi would not look at him. "Um, remember? Your grandfather went out of town? Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
"What? Nandemo." Yuugi looked up at Kaiba. "Why?"  
  
Kaiba saw that he had been crying. 'Not doing I very good job at hiding it either.' His cheeks were a little puffy and red and his eyes were still watery. "Well, for starters, your eyes are red and watery."  
  
"OH! No, I was just too close to a stray cat today. Allergies and all."  
  
"Oh." Kaiba did not believe him for one moment. "Whatever you say."  
  
"Well, I'm gonna get changed. I don't need any cat hair on me."  
  
Kaiba knew that Yuugi was not allergic to cats. He has been around cats at his house and never showed a sign of an allergy. 'He'll tell me when he wants to.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuugi made it to his room without a tear, but once he was inside, the tears started again. He fell face first on his bed and buried his head in a pillow. /Stupid, stupid! I shouldn't have let him do that to me. I should have stayed. Well, it's too late now./ He pulled the covers over his head, and even though there was still light out, he tried to sleep. Sleep finally did take him, but last words Yami said echoed through his head. "Aishiteru, demo sayonara."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After washing his hands, Yami tried to find a good lunch, but nothing seemed to do. He eventually got a glass of water. He sat at the table staring at it. Out of nowhere, he heard "Aishiteru, Yami. Zutto."  
  
"Huh?" Then Yami remembered their last conversation. Right before Yuugi accepted Yami's decision. "Knock it off!"  
  
His mom came into the room. "Nani? Did you say something?"  
  
//Stupid!// "No. I'm just thinking aloud."  
  
"Oh. Okay. Look, I wasn't born yesterday. I know something's up with you and Yuugi. And if you need to talk to someone, I'll listen." Then she left the room.  
  
//I do need to talk, but I can't. Not with what I want to talk about. Damn it, Yuugi! How will I ever be able to forget you?//  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuugi slept until nightfall. When he finally did wake up, he did not want to do anything. Not eat, sleep, think, or live. The person who he loved the most had rejected him. He felt knifes go through his body. /Death has got to be less painful than this./  
  
He looked on the table next to his bed and saw a cup with water and some food and a plate. He took the food off the plate and put it on the table. He struggled to break the plate. He finally broke a piece with a point off. He rolled up his selves and put the sharp tip to his skin near his wrist.  
  
The pain of the cuts made the pain of losing Yami fade to almost nothing. But the moment he stopped cutting the pain came back. /I can't win!/  
  
Finally, after losing so much blood, he passed out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kaiba was in the kitchen, hoping Yuugi would at least come down for dinner. He felt like he could not help, but now he had a good idea what is going on. After an hour went by, he wrapped up the food and put it away. 'He must be really miserable if he didn't eat dinner or lunch. I just hope he ate what was on the plate.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In his room, Yami was looking at the window where he last saw Yuugi. //I want to see you so much right now, but I can't. I want to be with you, but I can't. I need to get over this, but I can't.// Yami smiled humorlessly. It was nighttime and Yami could not wait until he could stop thinking about Yuugi.  
  
Unfortunately, he learned sleeping is not a very good problem solver.  
  
~*~*~*~DREAM~*~*~*~  
  
Yami ran up to Yuugi.  
  
"Hey, Yuugi! Let's duel today." He said.  
  
Yuugi pushed him away. "Go away, you idiot. I can't believe you were stupid enough to actually think I was in love with you." Yuugi laughed. "Oh, you did? Loser!"  
  
It was his laugh that startled him. It was not filled with warmth. "Yuugi..."  
  
"Don't talk so rudely to me."  
  
"Demo..."  
  
Yuugi hit Yami. When he tried to get up, Yuugi was already there to hit him again. "Why...? Why?!"  
  
~*~*~*~END OF DREAM~*~*~*~  
  
"WHY!" Yami woke up screaming. He heard other voices screaming, too. //Mom and Dad... I hope they didn't hear me.// He waited a bit, but no one came. So he went back to sleep, but still the disturbing dream came to him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yami's mom stopped arguing with her husband after she heard a yell from her son's room. 'Poor, boy. He won't tell me what's going on. I can't do anything for him if he doesn't.'  
  
She went to his room to ask him what was wrong, but he was asleep. 'Why don't you tell me, Yami?'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A week went by. Days of pain followed Yuugi, not wanting to hurt from Yami's rejection.  
  
From a sleep of pain, Yuugi woke up. He didn't realize he had fallen asleep. He looked at his bed covers. They were stained with blood. A trail of new blood led to his arms. He looked at his arms and was immediately reminded of Yami. He found the broken-off piece of the plate on his bed. He tried to pick it up, but had difficulty moving his hands.  
  
Failing to pick it up he attempted to get out of bed, but as soon as he stood on his legs, he fell. /No energy. Too much blood lost. I gotta get back in bed before Kaiba comes in./  
  
After a while, he got back into his bloody bed. He managed to get the plate shard. He put the point into his skin. This time, he didn't just scrape his skin, he push the tip in at least a half an inch. He felt his whole hand go numb. Blood seeped past the shard and run on his hand and arm. Soon he felt light-headed. /Yes, let me die... I can't take this pain... I want to die!/ Yuugi felt his head hit his pillow as the whole became a very dark place. /Yes... I'm finally going to die. Goodbye, 'jii-chan, Kaiba, Jounouchi, Mokuba, Bakura, Ryou, Marik, Malik and... You... The only one I'll ever love.../ Yuugi pictured a smiling and happy Yami. /Yami... I'll see you when it's your time. Genki de... minna.../  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yami woke up from a dream the made him wake up crying. //Yuugi...! Good, it was a dream, you didn't die...// He wiped the tears off his face. //It felt so real... I could have felt his blood on me...//  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
That week that had passed was the same pattern to Kaiba. The water would be still in the glass and the plate gone, but the food still on the table. Kaiba would enter his room to take away the food and water. He would call to Yuugi to wake up, but all he would get is a moan or a sharp yell telling him to go away.  
  
On the eighth day of this pattern, Kaiba went into Yuugi's room, determined to wake him up no matter what. He saw the food he gave Yuugi on a table and the plate was in little pieces this time, instead of gone. 'Oh, no.' Kaiba woke Yuugi up.  
  
Yuugi sat up a little. Kaiba was shocked with what he saw. Yuugi's skin was pale and his eyes seemed darkened and red around the edges. His once semi- built figure turned to skin and bones. His clothes were in shreds that revealed many cuts on his arms, some of the deeper ones still bleeding. Half in his arm, Kaiba saw a big shard stick out. "Yuugi, what's this?" Kaiba asked. "Is this another allergic reaction?"  
  
What shocked Kaiba even more was the hollow voice Yuugi spoke with. "I don't care anymore."  
  
Y-n-Y: Eep... um... no comment... 


	6. Setting the Line

Chapter 6  
  
Setting the Line  
  
Yami woke up, with his strange dream eating at the fringes of his mind that he had been having the past week. /I can't forget about him like this! I need to be happy it's over./  
  
He got out of bed and changed his clothes. /Yuugi, how are you going to forget? Or have you forgotten already?/  
  
---  
  
When Yuugi covered up his head with the blanket, Kaiba got a better look at his arms. "I don't care about anything anymore! Nothing's wroth it!"  
  
Kaiba pulled to blanket from his younger friend. "Listen to yourself! What? You don't care about life anymore? How weak of you. Giving up everything you have over a stupid fight with someone you're in love with," Kaiba yelled at him.  
  
Yuugi felt like his face was slapped.  
  
"Yeah, that's it. So, you're the first to give everything up, huh?" Kaiba pulled the blanket entirely from Yuugi. "You think Yami is doing the same thing you are? Is he killing himself a little more each day? Is THAT what you want to do? So, how do you plan to go? Starve yourself? Die from blood lost? Which one will come first?"  
  
Yuugi looked at Kaiba for the first time. Kaiba's face was not angry, but scared. /What does he have to be scared about? He has Mokuba and Jounouchi! I have no one now! If I don't have Yami, I don't have anything anymore!/ "You don't understand! It wasn't a fight! It was...!" Yuugi screamed. "We love each other! There was no reason! None! Right before he said goodbye, he said he loved me! And after he said goodbye he cried! I saw him! I could feel it! It was eating at his heart! You cry when you're sad, not relived! Right?! Why did he say goodbye?! I know he didn't want to."  
  
Kaiba slapped him. "Mutou Yuugi! This isn't like you. Snap out of it!" Kaiba sat down on the bed.  
  
Yuugi started crying. "Why?! He said he was afraid loving me! What kind of reason is that?! He never let fear make him run!" Yuugi let Kaiba hug him.  
  
"Yuugi, sometimes love can be scary to some people. Can you say that you weren't scared?"  
  
"No, but it seems different. Damn it! I DIDN'T RUN AWAY!" Yuugi said between fits of tears.  
  
"Do you want me to go talk to him? There aren't many people he can talk to around there," Kaiba offered, remembering what he knew about Yami's father.  
  
Yuugi looked up at the young CEO. "You'd do that?"  
  
"If you want me to."  
  
Yuugi looked down at his cut up arms. /The pain's coming back./ He looked at his friend, "Yes, please."  
  
---  
  
Yami, thankful for the peace he was given, stayed in his room. He did almost everything he could trying not to think of Yuugi, but he could not. Mostly because everything he did do was with Yuugi.  
  
---  
  
Kaiba looked at his smaller friend. "Okay, Yuugi, I'll go see what's up, but you still better be here when I get back. And alive. Understand, Yuugi?"  
  
"I understand. Where would I go?"  
  
'It's not where you would go, but what would you do.' "Okay, I'll be back."  
  
Kaiba left the house. He waited outside the house a bit to make sure Yuugi was not going to climb out his window or something. No, it was all clear.  
  
As Kaiba was driving to Yami's house, he remembered when he first found out. It was not when Yuugi had asked how to tell someone you love them. It was about a month before that. It was one of the days he was with Yami and Yuugi dueling.  
  
---FLASHBACK---  
  
Kaiba and Yami had been going at it for a good hour. Yuugi was sitting nearby watching. The two duelists stared each other down. They were both pretty tired and ready to call it a day, but were not done quiet yet. Once again, getting Kaiba upset, Yami made a little rude remark to Kaiba.  
  
The tri-color haired boy was more tired than Kaiba expected, but he knew he could handle it. Suddenly, he heard, "NO!!" It was a scream from Yuugi. Kaiba looked at him, fist inches from Yami's face, and he caught a glimpse of fear on Yuugi's face. It was quickly removed when Kaiba saw. It distracted Kaiba allowing Yami to throw a punch while his own barely missed him. Kaiba could not dodge it in time. He was knocked to the ground.  
  
He saw Yuugi run to Yami and ask he if was all right. 'Hey,' he thought 'I was the one who got hurt.' Kaiba realized something was up with them. He decided to let Yuugi tell him when he wants to.  
  
---END OF FLASHBACK---  
  
---  
  
Still on his way, he thought silently, 'If it was for this long no wonder Yuugi's so hurt. This can't be much easier on Yami.'  
  
---  
  
Yami, still in his room, sat in a corner. The words 'This is for the best' was his mantra.  
  
The repetition stopped when he saw Kaiba's car. Kaiba? Yuugi must have finally told him everything. No way getting out of this one.Yami stood up and straightened out his clothes as they were a little wrinkled from sitting on the floor. /Here goes./  
  
Yami opened the door right before Kaiba was able to ring the bell. "Oh, Yami, just the person I wanted to talk to."  
  
"Not here."  
  
His guest nodded. "I know."  
  
Yami stepped outside and closed the door behind him.  
  
---  
  
They went to a place near where they usually dueled. Kaiba could tell Yami was a bit nervous. He probably was not sure exactly how much he knew about what happened the previous week.  
  
"Kiite, if Mutou sent you here to talk to me, I don't want to talk about it. It's over. I'm trying to get on with my life."  
  
Kaiba nearly exploded. 'You're all ready getting defensive and I haven't said anything.' "I haven't even said a word and you're all ready doing this. This time it's not about you. Just because you don't want to talk about it, doesn't mean everyone else doesn't want to, too. And it seems that you're the only one trying to get on with your life. Yuugi, your best friend since who knows how long, is sitting in his room trying to hang on to whatever is salvageable from your friendship, to each piece he can reach. Do you know what he was trying to do all week?"  
  
The smaller man shook his head. "He's been trying to slit his wrists." Yami looked away. "No, I take that back. He has been slitting his wrists. When I woke him up today, I saw a broken plate and a pool of dried blood on his clothes, bed sheets, and body. I thought for a heartbeat he was dead. My guess is his kept cutting until his body couldn't take the amount of blood lost and passed out before he could do anymore damage." Kaiba saw Yami's hand ball up. 'I'm getting through to him.'  
  
"And by the way, I offered to talk to you. He just wanted to finish killing himself. And over what? A spoiled brat who, obviously, has too much of his father's unemotional heart in him. I was around when my dad first met yours, I don't remember everything, but I have heard my father talk about it when I was younger. Obviously, and unfortunately, he has rubbed off on you.  
  
"You are nothing like the Yami I meet in our first duel. You were careful about people's feelings, including even your father's. I think that the reason you were like that was because your father wasn't around much when you grew up. In our other life, everyone died, including me. And to think that you, way back then saved us all and allowed us to be reborn."  
  
Yami looked up at Kaiba in disbelief. He knew he was in for it. "And I can't believe that the person who helped save everyone from a permanent vacation and helped people live, including the one you love, is standing in front of me acting like a spoiled brat."  
  
Yami fell to the ground against a tree. "Listen, Yami, I didn't come here to jump down your throat like this. I just wanted to make sure you could make this decision with a clear conscious. And now that you know what's going on with Yuugi, you can make a final decision. We are having dinner at six. I hope you'll be there."  
  
---Tsudzukeru 


	7. Sense of Friendship

**Chapter 7**

**Sense of Friendship**

**Yami saw Kaiba take off. /_The other me. I wonder what I used to be like. For Yuugi's sake, I wish I could be that person. Boy, Kaiba sure let me have it. I would have freaked out too if I saw something broken and blood near someone I care about. Someone I love. I love... I guess I have until six to make up my mind. Just about five hours. The scariest thing was those dreams I had. In them Yuugi died from slitting his wrists._/**

**Yami walked back to his house to give himself more time to think. By the time he got home, with tears down his cheeks, his mind was made up.**

**---**

**Kaiba arrived home within the half hour of talking to Yami. 'I hope I got through to him. Yuugi's pretty self-destructive right now. In fact, I don't know how good of an idea it was to leave him alone. Right now he needs someone who he can feel comfortable talking about this with. That doesn't nominate me. But at least I can control him.'**

**Kaiba walked through the door to see Yuugi in the kitchen. "Hey, Kaiba. Back already?"**

**Kaiba did not know what was up with this kid. The first minute he is self-destructive and the next he is acting normal. 'He's still skinny and pale, but his cheerfulness is back.' "What's up, Yuugi?"**

**Yuugi smiled. "Nothing, I'm just hungry."**

**Kaiba looked at Yuugi's face carefully. He was not lying. "What about this morning?"**

"**What about it?"**

"**Well, you've been trying to kill yourself. What's with the sudden attitude change?"**

"**Well, I figured if someone had to die, it should be Yami— uh, Mutou."**

'**I give up. I'll just pay more attention to Yuugi for any trouble.' Kaiba looked at Yuugi's arms. "What about those cuts? You should clean them better so they don't scar."**

"**I want them to scar. They'll be reminders for me."**

"**Reminders for what?"**

"**Not to love." With that Yuugi picked up his sandwich and took it to his room. **

'**What?'**

**---**

**Yuugi sat himself in a chair in his room. /That's right. Love no one. Pain is the only outcome for me. It's not like I'll ever be able to love anyone as much as him./ He bit furiously into his sandwich. He saw the cuts all over on his arms. /I'll always remember you, Yami. That's why I'm keeping these scars./**

**---**

**It was ten to six, the normal time when his family would eat. Yami got up from his bed and left his room.**

**---**

"**Hey, Yuugi! You want to help me in the kitchen?" Kaiba called out to Yuugi, disrupting his thoughts.**

**Yuugi left his room and appeared in the kitchen and said, "Sure."**

**Yuugi was not exactly sure what he was doing, but it seemed like Kaiba was making a bit too much. /Ah, well, leftovers for tomorrow./**

**---**

**After Kaiba told Yuugi that there was nothing more to do, he went back to his room. Kaiba sat down to try and work, but he could only hope that Yami would be smart enough to come. 'It's obvious that they both need each other. They are both emotional and mental wrecks without each other.' It was five to six and he still was not there. 'Maybe he does have too much of his father in him.'**

**---**

**Yuugi sat on his bed which was still stained with his blood. He had not bothered to change the sheets. "Yuugi, dinner's ready!" he heard his friend call him.**

"**Hai, Kaiba!"**

**Yuugi went to the table and sat down. "Nee, Kaiba, why are there three plates on the table?"**

"**I was hoping someone would be joining us..."**

**At that moment, the doorbell rang. Kaiba jumped to get it.**

**---**

**Kaiba prayed with all his might that it would be Yami.**

**Sure enough, Yami was standing outside.**

"**Oh, good, you did come."**

**Yami smiled a little. "Yeah, well, I don't want to know what would have happened if I didn't show." Kaiba saw Yami's smile disappear. "But even if this doesn't work out, thanks for giving me this chance."**

**Kaiba smiled. "No problem, Yami."**

**---**

**Kaiba was back a minute later followed by a lavender haired boy. /Yami! I can't believe you're here! I thought I'd never see you again./**

"**Hey, Yuugi."**

"**Yami..."**

**Yuugi saw Kaiba quietly leave the room, with his own plate in hand. /Arigatou, Kaiba./ "So..."**

"**Sae shibaritai," Yami said casually.**

**Yuugi put on a smile. "Well, let's eat this food. We shouldn't waste it."**

"**Yeah."**

**They ate in silence for the most part. "So, why are you here, Yami?"**

"**I don't know..." He looked down at his plates, which were all empty. "Yes, I do. I miss you, Yuugi. This past week was filled with thoughts and dreams of you. Most were nightmares. I thought I could make myself forget you and get on with my life. But then I realized that you are my life." Yami looked at Yuugi straight in the eye. "Let me see your arms."**

**Yuugi did not realized Kaiba told him that much. He rolled up his sleeves and held out his wrists for Yami to see, not ever being able to say no to the person sitting across from him.**

**---**

**Yami looked at his friend's arms, they were covered with scratch marks; all were not cleaned out well and most were pretty deep. He got up and went to Yuugi.**

"**Gomen, this is my fault." Yuugi was staring at his arms. "I know you will probably never forgive me for doing all this to you, but I hope that one day you won't hate me as much as you do now." Yami turned to leave.**

"**Wait."**

**He looked back at Yuugi who was now looking at him.**

"**I don't want you to go yet, Yami. I was mad at you. I wanted to forget how to love. I'm over it now, I moved on... Because you came back here and showed that you still cared."**

**A shocked looked played across Yami's face. /_He's over me. I should have realized this would happen._/ "I understand, I guess—"**

"**No you don't. I moved on..." Yuugi repeated and continued on, "...to realize I need you even more than I ever thought I would." Yuugi held up his scarred arms. "I need you to help me heal these wounds, Yami. Only you can." Tears fell uncontrollably down Yuugi's cheeks from his black eyes. "Yami... I need you... I want you... I love you! Don't tell me goodbye again! Onegai!" Yuugi stood up next to Yami and they embraced.**

"**Yuugi... Me, too! I can't tell you good-bye again! I love you! I'm not afraid of this anymore. I need you and I want you so much to be with me. Zutto!" Yami took one of Yuugi's arms. "Together... We'll heal these scars. Don't ever forget to love; even if I'm not the one for you in the end. You hear me? Nothing to remind you of pain; that's all I want for you." Yami used his other hand to bring Yuugi's face to his.**

**He tasted the sweetness of Yuugi's lips again. /_I swear it! I'll never hurt you again! We will be together forever! If you wished me to tell my father, I would! I would only do it for you! My Yuugi!_/**

**Yuugi felt the softness of Yami's lips. /Yami! You don't know how much I missed you! I would have ended up killing myself if I couldn't be with you! Never let me go again! Swear it!/**

**/_I swear it, Yuugi._/**

**---Tsudzuku**


End file.
